Prahlad Iyengar lost his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) because of a pro-Palestine essay.
He was pursuing a PhD in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, but his five-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship will now end.
MIT has barred an Indian-origin student from entering the college campus last month over an essay he wrote in the college magazine, which the institute found called for violence.
Written Revolution, a multidisciplinary student magazine about the pro-Palestine movement, has published Iyengar’s essay. This has also been banned.
The essay that Iyengar wrote is called ‘On Pacifism’. As stated by The Commune Magazine, although not directly calling for violent resistance, the essay suggests that pacifist tactics may not be the best recourse for Palestine.
The essay featured the logo of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist organization according to the US State Department. However, Iyengar said that the terrorism charges against him were only because of the photographs in the essay, which he did not provide.
His statement read, “The administration accuses me of supporting ‘terrorism’ because the edition in which my article appears includes photographs of Popular Front for the Liberation posters and violent imagery in the publication.” Eric Lee on X.
According to the college, the essay contained language that “could be interpreted as a call for more violent or destructive forms of protest at MIT”. David Warren Randall, MIT’s dean of student life, emailed the magazine’s editors.
Iyengar has raised the issue of lack of freedom of expression on American campuses. But this is not the first time he has been suspended.
He was suspended last year after pro-Palestine demonstrations.
He believes his suspension is an “extraordinary action”.
“These extraordinary actions should concern everyone in the camp,” he said in the statement. “Expelling me and banning Written Revolution from campus as a result of this article would symbolize an unprecedented attack on the rights of the entire student body and faculty. Consider the precedent set by MIT.”
The MIT Coalition Against Apartheid has started a protest against MIT’s decision. “Pralhad is now appealing to the Chancellor to reduce the unjust sanctions imposed against him. We have launched a campaign to pressure the MIT administration to stop criminalizing students who stand on the right side of history. We The coalition calls on organizations and institutions to “sign up and have the conscience to stand up against MIT’s oppression,” the coalition said in a statement.
MIT is effectively expelling PhD student Prahlad Iyengar from campus for Palestine activism. ,
Emergency Rally: Cambridge City Hall, Monday, 12/9, 5:30 pm. Organization sign-on letter: pic.twitter.com/7cAYrvn5ad
– MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (@mit_caa) 8 December 2024
According to a report in The Boston Globe, Sophie Kopiters ‘t Volant, president of the MIT Graduate Student Union, said, “The truth is that MIT is choosing to put students’ livelihoods and careers at risk because of what those students are saying.” Don’t agree.” And it is unacceptable to protest for this.”
The coalition held a rally in support of Iyengar at Cambridge City Hall on 9 December.
